Professional Training Books

As a writer and compensation consultant myself, I highly recommend this newly revised edition for HR and compensation professionals seeking a solid overview reference guide to all aspects of compensation. The book provides coverage of a wide variety of relevant topics written by highly-regarded professionals.

Mind you, there are more comprehensive treatments available for specialty or "single-topic" compensation areas, such as executive or sales compensation, but none that provide the overall breadth of The Compensation Handbook as resource guide on many key areas of compensation management.

I found this book to be an invaluable reference for my research in the area of compensation. It covers all of the main topics in compensation management with articles from the best minds in the field. The trend summary and chapter introductions provide an overview that is interesting and insightful. That kind of analysis is hard to find. The information is surprisingly up to date, since change is slow in this field.

The book is essential for compensation professionals.

Received with thanks the Compensation Handbook in a very good condition. It is exactly the product I was looking for. I believe that it would be a very important reference to my business.

As a compensation consultant, I sought a comprehensive guide for all aspects of the field. The 4th edition of The Compensation Handbook provides simple and direct answers for every compensation problem. It is a virtual "who's who" of compensation professionals providing well-constructed, concise information on their area of expertise. No matter what information I seek -- from base compensation, variable compensation, executive compensation, performance and compensation, compensation and corporate culture, or international compensation -- I can find pertinent, practical guidance in this one book. Compensation issues that are currently challenging every company - regardless of size, age, or industry -- are especially well developed in The Compensation Handbook. The section on Corporate Culture containing chapters on "Culture and Compensation" and "Connecting Compensation, Behaviors, Culture, and Strategy to Win" by William M. Mercer consultants, "Rewarding Scarce Talent" by Patricia Zingheim, "Gaining a Competitive Edge by Improving the Return on Human Capital" by Peter LeBlanc, and "The Role of Work-Life Benefits in the Total Pay Strategy" covers issues that every compensation practitioner or human resources professional will grapple with in the forseeable future. Even the effect of technology and computers on compensation administration are handled in The Compensation Handbook. Information on global compensation strategies is relevant not only to practitioners but to anyone seeking employment on foreign soil or working for a foreign company. The Compensation Handbook is a winner.

As a compensation consultant, I sought a comprehensive guide for all aspects of the field. The 4th edition of The Compensation Handbook provides simple and direct answers for every compensation problem. It is a virtual "who's who" of compensation professionals providing well-constructed, concise information on area of expertise. No matter what information I seek -- from base compensation, variable compensation, executive compensation, performance and compensation, compensation and corporate culture, or international compensation -- I can find pertinent, practical guidance in this one book. Compensation issues that are currently challenging every company - regardless of size, age, industry -- are especially well developed in The Compensation Handbook. The section on Corporate Culture containing chapters on "Culture and Compensation" and "Connecting Compensation, Behaviors, Culture, and Strategy to Win" by William M. Mercer consultants, "Rewarding Scarce Talent" by Patricia Zingheim, "Gaining a Competitive Edge by Improving the Return on Human Capital" by Peter LeBlanc, and "The Role of Work-Life Benefit in the Total Pay Strategy" covers issues that every compensation practitioner or human resources professional will grapple with in the forseeable future. Even the effect of technology and computers on compensation administration are handled in The Compensation Handbook. Information on global compensation strategies is relevant not only to practitioners by to anyone seeking employment on foreign soil or working for a foreign company. The Compensation Handbook is a winner.

Before I start telling you WHY I love it, let me state, "I LOVE IT!"

This book is amazing. I had been following e-Sports (professional gaming) since 2003 and loved every minute of it. I had favorite teams and watched all the tournaments like ESWC and CPL. I thought I understood the scene and why everyone did what they did. Game Boys brought so many things to light that I never had even thought about. I always figured most of these kids were gaming because it was something fun for them to do and they could win some cash. As the book reveals its more than that. These kids are not only looking to be the next professional sports stars but the behind the scenes is like a real sports team. There is countless amounts of drama between the top players and arguments about who should be calling strategies. The scene is much more tense then you'd be lead to believe on the outside. The rivalry between compLexity and 3D brought to light a whole other side of the game. To see the 2 polar opposites of each other facing off is incredible.

If you ever enjoyed e-Sports or gaming for that matter you should definitely pick up this book. It will show you things that you never knew about. It not only holds a plethora of information for those who have never heard of professional gaming until now, but also goes so much deeper for those who have been into the scene.

This is a must-have for any gamer.

As a teenager and gamer involved in the very e-sports scene Kane so accurately describes, I've come across many books that have attempted to describe gaming, gamers, and the elements surrounding the scene, but never have truly grasped the passion that so many competitive gamers have felt towards the community that has been created around these games.

I started reading this book with reservations...I expected this to be another "oh yeah, some guy thinks it's cool," type of approach that would miss the mark on the intensity and seriousness that teenagers and younger adults were taking these games...these e-sports.

After completing the final chapter today, I'm so enthused to say that Kane has put to words what no one, to date, had been able to. From the coach/jock-like description of Jason Lake, to the journalistic rumors of Levine's business practices, Michael Kane has captured many aspects of the gaming community that, until now, I thought would take years to be written down as a part of history.

The truth is, if you're involved in the e-sports scene, inspired by the younger generation's choice of competition, or simply a parent of a gamer, this book is for you. Your jaw will be dropped at how far gaming has come, and how immense, intense, and elaborate the gaming community has become, not only in size, but in personality and every aspect that could define a competitive sport!

Game Boys is like Remember the Titans but for Counter-Strike. M Kane's background is in sports writing and that is to the advantage of the book. I could feel my heart pounding as he described the matches. I found myself covering the page with my hand so as not to spoil the outcome.

This game is not meant for gamers. In fact is is exactly the opposite. This book is for people on the periphery who are sports fans, not gamers. It makes competitive gaming into competitive sports.

Games Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time by Michael Kane is the best inside look at the competitive videogaming industry I have read to date. He peels back the layers of this very complex subculture and lays it all out there for anyone to read - from the gamers themselves to the parents who try to understand. Game Boys has it all - the celebratory victories, the heartbreaking losses, the passion of its supports and accompanies it all with backroom dirty laundry. This book is an informative, exciting read. Author Michael Kane has managed to translate the excitement of competition into his words, and sometimes I found myself reading faster through the competition gameplay to get to the moment of victory - even though I already knew the results of many of the matches he wrote about.

As a participant full of passion for the videogame industry, there were so many times I found myself identifying with CompLexity GM Jason Lake and harbouring feelings of resentment towards Craig Levine. Like Jason Lake, I believe in the grassroots foundation of this wonderful industry, and even though Craig Levine has done much to get competitive videogaming out there into the main stream of today's world, I often felt that Levine's tactics were less than honourable, and I am of the generation when honour was at the forefront of how you conducted your life. These are elements which make for a great book - eliciting emotion and appreciation from the reader, making the reader care about the characters in the story.

Michael Kane has artfully included every aspect of our advancing technological world - global friendships and rivalries, heroes and villains, supportive families and families who feel the gamer is wasting his or her time. Corporations who only look at the biggest and the best for exposure, instead of looking at and supporting the grassroots events and players who keep the industry churning forward on a daily basis. Event promoters who are in it for the dollar, and to heck with the injury they do to our industry by scamming the players who have poured their heart, soul and often their last dollar into feeding their passion for gaming in hopes of making it to the winner's circle.

I commend Michael for the honesty of his words, even the ones which cast a less than idyllic light on the e-sports industry, because the end result shows that our cyberathletes truly are no different from the mainstream sports athletes. They train, they play, they do things they shouldn't, but when it comes right down to the final seconds it's all about the game and the opponent in front of them. Game Boys shows how far we as a competitive market have come, but also shows how far we have yet to go. Michael touched very briefly on the girls in gaming, and while some things have changed since Game Boys went to print, much has stayed the same, from the disdain which meets many girl gamers head on, to the insults and unwelcome photos hurled at them on XBL. While the industry is still very much a boys' club, the girls are rapidly gaining ground - perhaps in the future we can look forward to a book on Gamer Girls to compliment Gamer Boys - what do you say, Michael?

Michael Kane's "Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise from the Basement to the Big Time" is a complete page-turner for both gamers and non-gamers alike. Considering that this is the first and only book to ever chronicle the evolution of "elite e-sports", I started reading this book with an open mind. I have to admit that I was apprehensive when I started the book since, how will the author connect the reader to the unknown world of e-sports? The terms are as intricate and technical to explain to a person who might not be a part of the Counter-Strike phenomenon. Kane has not only managed to use the most creative analogies (bringing laughter to some of them), but he illustrates the stories in such a way that it felt like everyone was or can be a part of the inherent rivalries, the drama, the secrets and the action that lies within watching an elite Counter-Strike match. What makes this book so unique, was that as a former girl gamer from 2003 to 2005, I had followed the rise of the e-sports scene and had ran across the people that Kane highlights in this book, either through the internet or through watching these matches at home. What I did not know about these individuals were their lives outside of Counter-Strike and what it took for each of them to get to where they are today. Kane brings to you every team's successes and failures, while adding flair to what goes on when the cameras are off. The struggle to bring the gamers subculture out to the mainstream was a challenge, where gamers tend to face the fine line between choosing to play for pleasure or to play strictly for business. I send my praises for entertaining while educating the public of the world that once reached a momentum for gamers, I recommend this book for anyone who ever took part of the gaming community, plan to take part or are just curious to understand this growing 11 billion-dollar industry.

I first came across a reference to this book in a medical ethics class. After watching an attending physician take the wrong tack in explaining a terminal condition, I decided to learn a better way. This book has excellent summaries, frequent examples of the "wrong" way and the "right" way, and is the single best book on talking to patients I've read. A must-read for any health care provider, and especially anyone who has to talk to critically ill patients or their families.

How to Break Bad News is one of the best books on the subject I've found anywhere. I wrote a book called "Difficult Conversations" which deals with some of the same issues in a broader context, and I am impressed indeed by Buckman's book. I wish healthcare workers everywhere would read it.

This is a unique, delightful, and highly practical book. I recommend it very highly for all physicians and mental health professionals. The authors explain that, despite the American focus on informed consent, some patients who develop life threatening disease do NOT want to know all the details, or even the prognosis, of their condition. A wise and useful six-step protocol for breaking bad news is proffered, incorporating both readiness to fully inform and readiness to respect the patient's psychological vulnerabilities. Since bad news comes in many forms in this life, the skills and attitudes described have wide applicability in the helping professions. A TRULY OUTSTANDING videotape also exists as a companion to this book. I don't know if it is available through Amazon or not. PKC

This is chock full of great advice when you don't know what to say, or are feeling slightly shy or uncomfortable. Just curling up with these study cases in how to tell someone their colon is infecting their entire body and they only have a few weeks to live, or that a hemorrhage in their daughters brain will keep her in a state of vegetation for the rest of her ... life is enough to make anyone feel better about their own situation. Not sure what to say at a party? Just imagine yourself in one of these terrible situations and you'll thankfully be chatting up a storm.

I am a psychololgist. I read this book very carefully and outlined it, it was that good. It is very practical information on how to deliver difficult news. I found that I deliver more difficult news than I thought. I use the six steps outlined in the book now, and teach residents about the book. This is the best resouce I found for delivering bad news to patients.

Reviewed by Mazuba Shunamon-S. (age 14) for Reader Views (4/08)

"Maximum Performance Basketball: In-Season Workout Book for Players 7th Grade-12th Grade," by James E. Brown, is a book for any basketball player that wants to improve their skills. The author is a former pro-European basketball player, and he has coached a number of teams throughout the U.S.A. and Europe. This book helps with passing, dribbling, shooting, post moves, and even helps with time management. There are clear illustrations and numbered steps on how to execute each move perfectly, and good pictures showing how to do the drills. It also has a really good exercise workout schedule on a weekly calendar.

This book is an in-season workout book so it's better to have it with you on the court than for a quiet-time read. I would bring this book along with me to my practices, so I could read the drills then perform them. You should bring it every time you practice. It is easy to understand and even though it's simple, it still gives you a great workout.

I would recommend this book to any student athlete because it doesn't just help to improve your skills; it shows you how to manage your time, and balance homework and basketball evenly. You will find individual moves, workout schedules, and a list of students that excelled beyond the rest and reached their ultimate goals of getting scholarships, and even making it to the N.B.A. I liked this book and will use it myself, and I recommend Maximum Performance Basketball: In-Season Workout Book for Players 7th Grade-12th Grade" to any aspiring basketball player.

Coach Brown knows from experience what it takes for you to become the best basketball player and student athlete that you can possibly be. He is annointed for what he does, that seperates him from the most coaches. He understands that in order to reach your full potential, you have to have a plan and be devoted to execute the plan. He illustates a schedule and indepth workout in his book to help you to become a very skillfull player.

Coach Brown knows from experience what it takes to become a successful professional basketball player. It is wonderful that he has taken the opportunity to share his wisdom with junior high and high school students-in theory though this book and in practice with Maximum Performance Basketball School. I applaud his decision to include a sample schedule so that students can balance their many priorities. As a student and the former manager of a high school basketball team, I understand that this is a crucial aspect of success not just for sports but for life in general.

Excellent book for middle school and high school players to use to make their own practice work more effective. Lots of kids will go out and shoot it around but those that are willing to organize their workout using a workbook like this will really improve their success at the sport.

The school coaches also love it when they see young players that have a plan for the work outside of practice.

Maximum Performance Basketball
Written by: James E. Brown
ISBN: 1-59824-368-3

Reviewed by: James Edwards for ReviewYourBook.com
"James E. Brown was a professional basketball player and a coach. "Maximum Performance Basketball" is to teach young players to not only play harder, but to also play smarter."
4 stars

James E. Brown was a professional basketball player. He coached college ball, and he now is President of JEBBS, Inc., a minister, and a mentor.

"Maximum Performance Basketball" simplifies the basics of basketball. It does so with its concise instructions and basic drawings. A sample workout schedule is provided. Testimonies are provided from athletes James E. Brown has coached.

James E. Brown takes a holistic approach to coaching. His students testify to becoming better athletes and better people. James E. Brown now hosts a basketball school in Texas. Hats off to James E. Brown. To learn more about becoming a better basketball player, read "Maximum Performance Basketball".

I heard Doug speak. Then I read his book. As the title suggests, he helps us be mindful as we embrace opportunities to serve others. As a business coach, I found this book provocative. His drescriptions of 7 parts/ roles is insightful. And his wisdom flows deep, with applicable tips that you can use with others. I urge you to read this book slowly, and to discuss it with others.

Doug Gray, PCC, author of Passionate Action: 5 Steps to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work

Doug has provided a clear and integrated model to assist people in understanding and applying some of the important skills in mindfulness and coaching. As a Global Executive Coach and mindfulness practitioner, I believe that executives from diverse backgrounds who are concerned with people development will find The Mindful Coach an insightful and practical guide.

Silsbee's writings challenge any coach to take his or her work to a whole new level. His system is profoundly ethical and personally demanding, ensuring gain for both the coach and the client. The more "coaching" rises to this level, the more honesty there will be in coaching as a true profession...and the more businesses would likely search for coaches skilled in Silsbee's methods.

Doug Silsbee offers a rare perspective in writing for a business context. He speaks from a deeply personal experience of his own journey and how helping others must begin with looking at self.

This is a powerful book because it is written with a commitment to personal honesty, truth telling, and service. Doug makes a very strong case that this is what coaching is and should be all about.

I love this book because instead of putting coaching into a series of formulas and canned techniques, Doug presents a holistic approach to coaching as a unique human interaction. The seven coaching roles he describes are useful and practical without being prescriptive, and the exercises really invite you to understand and know yourself as a canvas upon which the coaching conversation can happen.

Doug has written an important new perspective on coaching that all coaches, consultants, and managers can learn from. I highly recommend this book!

What struck me as a foreign language teacher were the references to the communication problem between doctor and patient as one analogous to the speakers of two different languages, each attempting (or not) to speak intelligibly to the other. The metaphor was not limited to foreign languages per se, although that came up too, but also to different artistic languages: the one med professor had his students go to an art museum to observe paintings "so they could observe patients". The idea is that the doctor is to bring the same heightened engagement with this "foreign language" of painting to his patient, the same sensation of non-understanding that requires all the compensatory observational zeal one can muster -- so that one will be alert to and comprehend the language of his patient's body, the "different kinds of red". (46) Similarly jazz musician Sikou Sundiata only began to comprehend his doctor when he learned that he, too, was a drummer, a percussive artist who could read the tones of his chest the way the artist could feel the rhythms of his drums. But then there were the direct mentions of foreign language: again Sundiata: "Using medical language with doctors was kind of like using my high school French when I went to Paris." And while some of the doctors encouraged him, helped him with the words he didn't know, others wanted to "leave that kind of talk" to them. (99) Finally, my favorite of these references is Richard McCann's "My Body, My Story", where he actually defines the TWO languages being spoken, one the language of medicine by the doctors, and the other the language of his body, "because what you're hearing is me. It's me." (89) And he compares himself to the doctor's Spanish cleaning lady, to whom the doctor explains how to run the dryer in English, and then, in a gesture of grace, says "Gracias" to her. That line is what strikes me as so important for ALL the listening professions: that one learn to bend out of one's familiarity, acknowledge the "other" as valid, and move, however clumsily, toward communication in a language other than one's own. It is a kind of alertness and engagement, borne of the conviction of the limits of the doctor's own knowledge vis-a-vis his patient's "language" -- i.e. his unique "body narrative" -- that this book wishes to awaken. I find it very touching, I think, because the need for that urgency is so much larger than the needs of good medical practice. It is, in a way, simply the need for grace, for "bending a little my way", for loving one's neighbor, for learning foreign languages in the most extended sense of the metaphor, in order that "grace may abound".

There's more to listening to a patient then just comprehending the words coming out of their mouths. "Patient Listening: A Doctor's Guide" is a guide for doctors to understanding and interpreting patients' complaints. Better listening, claims author Loreen Herwaldt, creates a better bond between doctor and patient, and improves the quality of treatment all around. "Patient Listening" is a recommended read for all physicians and community library health collections.

What a novel and remarkable way to write the patient's voice. Dr. Herwaldt has captured the essence of the many aspects of the clinical encounter by distilling interview transcripts of well regarded published authors into what she calls "found poems". She has created a very useful tool for all of us to teach the patient's voice. Eminently readable, this book should be a must read by all medical students and clinicians. It is truly one of the best texts for informing the clinical encounter that I have read. Its simplicity is its beauty and brilliance.

There are an increasing number of physician authors who are sharing their stories, etc. in books and articles in the lay press. To this mix, is Physican Listening, an unique and remarkable book. Dr. Herwaldt has taken patient, some of whom are physicians, stories and transformed the prose into poetry. Hence the listing as editor. The poems are moving as they tell stories of patient experiences with physicians, some good and some not so good. While the book is targeted at medical professionals I truly believe they have just as much relevance to the public at large. Further, the perceived magical physician-patient interaction is somewhat illusory. As some of the poems highlight, physicians are patients too and, like my own personal experience, that does not necessarily give one an advantage. In fact it ought not be. Ideally, and recognzizing that we are all individuals, every patient experience ought to be excellent. It is the hope of the editor that in sharing such stories that we physicians and other health care professionals develop better insight into and empathy for the patient. By this measure this book is a great success.

In closing, and to address any perceived conflict of interest, let me note that Dr. Herwaldt and I work at the same institution but have rarely had any professional interaction, including the focus of this book.

Although this was written as a guide for physicians and educators, there is much to recommend it to a wider readership. These are the actual narratives of illness, transmuted by a deft lyrical touch into "found poems", attributed to the teller as author. Each author has a unique voice, yet the poems reveal as much about the listener as they do about the author. In a poignant dedication page, Dr Herwaldt dedicated this book to those who shared their narratives with her, and then named several who died before the book was published. I have been privileged to hear medical students at the University of Iowa stage these as performance pieces. Those students, and any who attended the readings, have surely been changed by the experience. I know that I was. I would recommend this book to anyone who is intrigued by the interaction between patient and physician.

Troen and Boles give a grim outlook for the state of public education in the United States, but they offer hope and some real solutions for improving education. They believe strongly in professionalizing teachers and they should be listened to. I highly recommend this book!

The malaise of education seems pretty obvious to many people and the first half of their short book provides a summary of that common harangue in clear, solid, soundbite-proof language. The authors identify what they call a Trilemma Dysfuntion in schools that has a crippling effect on reform strategies. First, since there are "not enough academically academically able students...being drawn to teaching," the pool of talent and ambition has diminished. Second, "teacher preparation programs need substantial improvement," since their certification and renewal procedures have historically been much less than rigorous. Third, "the professional life of teachers is on the whole unacceptable," that is, professional development and growth opportunities remain stagnant. These three dysfunctions feed into and maintain a malformed culture in schools. What is worse, teachers have operated for so long under this cultural dysfuntion that they regulate themselves with their own myopic, bureaucratic chains (cf. Foucault's Panopticon).

What really made this book a wonderful reading and learning experience for me, though, remains in their providing hope, that is, a plan. Since teacher improvement lies at the heart of any educational reform strategy, the authors declare that empowering teachers to do their job well must be the premise and promise of the profession. Their blueprint for school reform contains the Millennium School, an attempt to revive the profession of teaching, re-organize the roles of educational personnel, and improve educational leadership. The bedrock principles that comprise the Millennium School consist of four tenets: first, "multi-tiered career paths for teachers," next, "teaching in teams instead of in isolation," then, "performance-based accountability," and finally, "ongoing professional development for all teachers and principals" (p. 185).

I suppose that I am a little jealous of the authors. They have written the book that I have always wanted to write. This is my way of giving it very high praise because it resonated with me in a profound manner. If I were to criticize it, it would be that for all its fine writing, eloquent arguments, and scholarly support, the authors do not provide a Millennium School model at the High School level (my arena), only at the Elementary School level. (Wait. Maybe there is still time to consider writing that book after all. Better go now--)

Do you have children in school? For anyone interested in education - whether they're a parent, teacher, policymaker, legislator - this book explains why education reforms fail. It's an inside look into the classroom, the culture of teaching, the reasons why teachers are so poorly prepared for the realities of classroom life, about the culture of schools, and mainly why there's a critical shortage of over 2 million teachers. Do you believe that classroom instruction is getting worse? Do you think that teachers of today are less capable than the teachers of 20 years aago? Do you think your children are getting teachers who are not as smart as the teachers you had when you were in school? Well, you're right, and this book tells you why. It's the truth, and yet it's so well written, it reads like fiction. The authors reveal the history behind how classroom teaching got to be the way it is, and then they tell you how it could all be better. How teaching could be a respected profession, like medicine or law, and what it would take. They describe the "perfect" school, and how to construct it. We spend, as a society, billions of dollars on schools and terribly much of it is wasted. This book tells us how we could make our money better spent, and how we could get the teachers our children deserve.

With all the talk about "Leaving No Child Behind," it's refreshing to read a book that explains clearly and credibly how the entire teaching profession has been left behind. While the state of teaching in the United States is truly disheartening, Ms. Troen and Ms. Boles give us hope that it can, in fact, be resurrected. One can only hope that enough people heed their sage advice.

Everyone's talking about the need for great teachers in every classroom. Almost nobody is encouraging their own smart, well-educated, creative son or daughter to consider teaching as a CAREER. This book explains the disconnect and what we need to do about it. How to make teaching an attractive career for well-educated young people who can write, who enjoy mathematics, who like being with children -- that is the key issue that no one else is talking about. This book gets real. - a former classroom teacher

John Wooden is an amazing coach. he led UCLA for many successful years. So, while I haven't read this book yet, I am assuming it must be the most masterfully written book ever produced. It is going to be a smooth read, almost as smooth and a micheal jordan stride to the hoop and open mouthed slam dunk.

If you've read a lot of Coach Wooden's books, you may be familiar with his wisdom, maxims and his wonderful pyramid of success; this book studies the methodology of his teaching and how he applied his wisdom to the successful transfer of knowledge and skills. If you're a teacher, buy this book!

Any coach should take the philosophies of John Wooden to heart, they work! Using his teachings you can win games and the players have a heck of a lot better experience. After a dismal record in only my 2nd season fresh out of college I started researching his work, and applying it - only to have one losing season over the next 7. Started to get away from his teachings recently making my frustration levels go through the roof so bought this book as a refresher, it helped and recommend it to all coaches.

Ron Gallimore and Swen Nater combine their incredible knowledge about teaching and basketball to deliver a new and insightful look at the teaching practice of John Wooden. The book is a wonderful balance of personal stories from Nater and insights about teaching and learning from Gallimore that demonstrate just how incredibly wise, intentional, and gifted The Coach was and is. This book demonstrates the hard work, preparation, courage, and commitment to continuous learning that defines quality teaching. A must read for every teacher and coach.

Swen Nater knows John Wooden - that much is clear. Clear too, is what a great teacher John Wooden was and, continues to be. This is a book any teacher can learn from. Sure it is great for coaches, but when a teacher is looking for guidance on how to handle varying student potential within their class, is it better to treat everyone the same - or to treat each individual differently, according to their personality, talent, ability, commitment etc. as Wooden did? Swen does a great job of interjecting his own life's experience into the priniciples Wooden taught. And he uses those of "Alcindor", Wicks, Walton, Allen and others to make the stories fit the lesson. This is textbook material, or should be required reading for aspiring or experienced teachers - 5 Stars plus!

Ever given a presentation to a room full of people and realised that you were failing dismally? Ever had one student in your class who you just couldn't reach? Ever thought of giving up teaching/presenting because it's no fun anymore and your audience is getting tougher to handle everyday? Ever wanted to be better at what you do and don't know who to turn to for the answers? - well read on.

A new book entitled Artistry in Training by Stephanie Burns takes us to a higher level of understanding about the role and impact of the educator/trainer, in a concisely written, logically sequenced and easy to read format. Before we start, perhaps some definitions are necessary. Throughout the book Burns uses the term trainer to describe "anyone seeking to change or modify human behaviour - affecting the skills or actions, the thoughts and emotions of other people" (she covers this well in a section within her introduction entitled "What's in a Name"). So, for the purpose of this review I will use the term trainer to identify anyone involved in the teaching world - coach, teacher, counsellor, leader, sales manager. Further, Burns refers to members of the audience as students. So again, I will use this term throughout this review. Finally, whilst Burns has spent much of her life focussing on adult education, her focus is on education and learning. The methodology detailed in Artistry in Training has equal application to a group of five year olds or fifty year olds, so I will not distinguish adult or child education in this review, I will simply use the term education.

Now, if you want another "how to training book", stop right here, Artistry in Training is not for you. If however you are seeking to understand the experience of the learner, what is happening in your classroom and what you need to do to achieve 100% participation and results from your students, then Artistry in Training is an essential read.

Firstly, let's start with the author. American Stephanie Burns is a leading force in the field of education. She has spent her lengthy career exploring the "why's" of learning (both as student and educator), specialising in the area of adult education. Burn's client list (attained from another source) reads like a 'who's who' of world business. Try NASA, Coca Cola, ABC-TV and General Electric to name a few, and you have got to sit up and take note of what Burns is saying. Now resident in Australia, Burns has placed much of her recent focus on sharing her knowledge with other trainers in the live seminar environment. One suspects from her acknowledgments at the start of this book, that Burns was cajoled into writing Artistry in Training by her publishers, Woodslane, and to them we owe a debt of gratitude. For Artistry in Training is truly ground breaking and streets ahead of other training materials on the market.

Burns had me by page 9 of Artistry in Training when, after sharing an amusing story about her first training attempt, she writes " that those with perseverance and a willingness to make all their experiences useful, will without doubt succeed". Anyone who has sought to train or educate another person in anything, must surely be inspired by this line. So what makes Burns approach to the world of education different? Simply, it is these three core concepts.

1.Know and understand the learner's experience - realise that students are not all the same. 2.Understand the range and flexibility of behaviours that you as a trainer possess. 3.Develop coherent presentations/materials that make sense.

Now don't be fooled here. These concepts whilst making inordinate sense as one liners, are the result of years of research and study and are backed by a mass of theoretical data which Burns has painstakingly gathered from around the globe. What I particularly like about Burns work is that she obviously understands why her work works (or fails as in her first training experience) and this is well communicated throughout the book. This is probably what makes Burns unique and allows her message to be labelled ground breaking. There is no guess work here and as we read the book we can see that Burns has tested every concept and idea in real learning environments. Artistry in Training is a true blend of academic foundation and experience, which has been simply translated for the most experienced or novice trainer.

An easy 250 page read, Artistry in Training is extraordinary in its detail. Burns use of anecdotes keeps the reader grounded in the real world and builds a bridge of shared experiences which most readers will immediately relate to. The construction of the book (7 chapters) is solid, with each chapter containing an introduction, body and summary. Whilst I would not recommend it, this format allows the reader to read the book based on chapter interest, instead of from front to back. An FAQ chapter concludes the book, which is particularly useful for those hungry for immediate practical application. Entitled " Going Real-Time" this section has quickly become my favourite.

Artistry in Training is an enthralling first time read and for anyone engaged in the education field, a constant companion that will age well with time. So if you are charged with the task of teaching anything to anyone, Artistry in Training must be your first port of call. It is practical, intelligently written and provides hope to anyone seeking to communicate a message.

Artistry in Training is good self help book for any Trainer. Stephanie has provided friendly guidance for being a confident Trainer. Her style of presenting facts, analysing them and offering of expert advise with empathy is the hallmark of this book.I find in this book a strong reasoning for every guidance offered.

The book reflects great clarity and confidence in her field.Chapter 3 and chapter 7 is superb.I will call this book as Mentoring the Trainer.

Thanks very much..

Artistry in Training is a book I have been 'friends' with for 3 years now, long before meeting Stephanie. The experiences that Stephanie shares are real, tell it like it is and have enabled me to get a better understanding of this wonderful career path of being a trainer of adults and the wonderful interactions and dynamics they bring to a training environ. No special skills required to understand and gain from this 'friend'. When you feel alone on the path you are trying to forge for yourself, turn to Artistry in Training for a friendly help and reminder of why you are doing what you are doing.

This book masterfully weaves the many threads of how to achieve the magical moments of being a trainer.

A personalised, practical and thoroughly researched book on strategies that are engaging, obvious and challenging.

Having personally used the strategies in this book and encouraged over 500 to do the same I confidently stand in a place saying "it works"!

The author writes as if in conversation with you which makes it an easy read, yet the questions posed, leave you uncertain long enough to seek the answers woven through the stories.

The layout enables a quick reference guide for current issues or timely refresher. It is an ideal read for aspiring new trainers or experienced trainers looking for the next learning.

This handbook is a collection of ideas from companies for designing employee training and learning systems. It covers such areas such as creating the "learning organization", outsourcing, electronic performance systems, interactive multimedia training systems, diversity training and development, training for global operations and benchmarking for best practices.

This comprehensive handbook helps trainers design classrooms, self-study and computer and web based training programs. While delivering the latest information on how adults learn best, it shows trainers how to prepare lesson plans, create visual aids, and deliver dynamic and powerful presentations.

This is a great resource for HR professionals from tiny to mega corporations. Contributing authors are the most respected experts in their fields. Primary focus is on training and development: accountability, justifying programs, format, leadership, pros, cons, pitfalls, challenges . . . all aspects are covered.

As I research and write my Adult Education thesis, this book is the most useful tool I've found.

The ASTD Training and Development Handbook, Fourth Edition, by Robert L. Craig, is an essential reference book for faculty, teachers, educators, and learning system administartors at all levels including University, Corporate, K-12, and Community Colleges. It is easy to use, very comprehensive, and has great quick summaries. With the fusion of the teaching, training, and tutoring into a learner centered model this book is more useful than ever. A MUST BUY. The price is worth every penny.

The Handbook is arranged to cover almost all aspects of Training & Development. The topics are carefully selected and their authors picked from among the top names in their respective fields and therefore, the chapters are focused, targeted and provide the right mix of information and practical guidelines.

Each chapter addresses a single topic (like corporate universities, customer service training, leadership development, etc.) and is written in a straight-forward manner at the right depth making them easy to read and the perfect introduction to the topic without losing it's functionality as a reference.

No T&D professional should go without this book whether as a reference and a quick source of information when memory will just not oblige or an informative and valuable resource for information and ideas.

The Handbook is divided into 5 Sections:
1) The Training & development Function - Covering such topics as the learning organization, history of training and cost accounting for training.
2) Program Design & Development - The chapters on ISD; HPT; Adult Learning; & Evaluation are brilliantly written. I keep on going back to them again and again.
3) Media & methods - Includes some good case studies as well as Thiagi's excellent chapter on instructional games.
4) Training Applications - This is a brilliant discussion of almost all training topics that you might come across.
5) Resources - While these might be a little dated, they are still quite useful.

Check the table of Contents and some of the samples in the pages so obligingly provided by Amazon.com and don't be deterred by the length or the price of the book. This book is worth every cent and will last you long after you have forgotten the cost.